


alleviate

by EmeraldRoses



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Age Play, OT9 - Freeform, Polyamory, also could be seen as platonic but, chan is a little to deal w stress, lots of tooth rotting fluff ok, love me some poly skz
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-09-28 19:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17188982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldRoses/pseuds/EmeraldRoses
Summary: Being the leader of an idol group can be stressful, really stressful. Especially when most of your boys are teenagers, and your group is the monster rookie of the year. It's hard finding ways to destress, but Chan has a secret way of doing so. The only issue is no members know, and Chan needs someone to take care of him.Or, in which Chan is a little to deal with stress and the other members do their best to take care of him.





	1. tantrums

Chan gets stressed very easily. Any leader of an idol group would be stressed, but there's always been a lot of pressure on Chan. From the survival show to their debut, to not even being a year old and already winning so many awards. Stray Kids are a whirlwind in the industry, and they're the same way back at the dorms.

It's already late by the time they get home, and Chan is supposed to finish writing out some lyrics and piecing together some melodies. But he's tired and drained and stressed. He drags himself into his room, shutting the door behind him, the noise of some of the boys bickering drowning out once it's shut. He sits himself down at the laptop desk, and immediately starts to work.

He spends a little under an hour trying to work on the lyrics and melodies, but nothing is coming together for him. Chan frowns to himself, anxiety and stress building up in his head and chest. He's got to get more songs prepared for their comebacks.

Immediately, a whine leaves the back of his throat. Chan balls his hands up into fists, lips formimg a big pout, and he kicks his legs several times under the desk. He starts regressing almost immediately, his head falling onto the table.

Chan forces himself up from the chair and flops down onto his bed, curling up with the blanket bunched in his fists. He whines again, into his pillow to muffle it, his legs kicking again. It's  _frustrating_ him and he doesn't know how to let it out.

So he throws a tantrum instead. Tears prick his eyes and he cries for just a minute into his pillow, arms and legs trashing about momentarily as well. Chan sniffs, lifting himself up from the bed.

Rubbing his eyes, Chan forces himself to regain his "right" mind, his non-regressed headspace, and climb out of his bed. Food might help him feel better, so he decides to walk out of his room and head to the kitchen.

It's only Seungmin in the kitchen right now, so Chan can easily maneuver his way to the fridge to look for something good to eat. But there's not much left, and all of his favourite snacks seemed to be gone. The other members probably ate them, but Chan could have sworn that he had a sticky note on one of the last chocolate pudding packs.

"Who ate the pudding?" Chan asks Seungmin, who takes a moment to look up from his phone.

"Oh, I think it was Minho." he replies.

Chan frowns, though his lips are forming more of a pout. He feels another tantrum building up. He barely stomps one of his feet, shutting the fridge door and letting out a sigh. He rests his forehead on the freezer door, continuing to pout to himself. He can't let Seungmin see him throwing a tantrum, though; he's the leader, he has to keep his head.

"Chan hyung, are you okay?" Seungmin's question makes Chan jump a little.

Chan turns to him, face still contorted into a frowny, pouting mess. Seungmin raises an eyebrow, but somehow doesn't seem put off. "What's wrong?" he asks, voice soft. And it's the kindness of Seungmin that makes Chan break just a little, making him sniff.

"Mi... Min'o took m'pudding." Chan sniffles quietly, tears barely pricking his eyes. He wipes them quickly, cursing at himself deep down for becoming little so easily.

"Minho took your pudding?" Seungmin repeats. Chan nods. "Did anyone know?"

"I... I put... note." Chan can feel himself becoming unable to communicate properly, and it was driving him crazy.

"Oh, there was a note? I guess Minho thought you wouldn't mind and would just buy some more."

"But Channie wan's puddin' now!" Chan bursts, immediately clamping a hand over his mouth afterwards. Tears threaten his eyes again, but Seungmin doesn't seem to react very much at Chan's out burst.

"It's okay, Channie," Seungmin smiles, using the nickname, making Chan suddenly relax. "We'll find you something else, okay? Do you want something soft? Sweet, salty?"

The questions and care aren't surprising in general, but they are surprising in the current situation. Chan isn't sure if Seungmin understands what's happening with him or not, but he doesn't bother questioning it as his little space mind starts taking over.

"S... Sweet." he mumbles, hands fidgeting together.

"Okay, Channie." Seungmin moves ovet to the fridge, switching places with Chan. He opens the door and rummages through before pulling out two packs of something. He turns to Chan then, holding them out: it's fruit sauce.

Chan takes them, immediately lighting up. Pudding was preferred, but apple and fruit sauces were also loved by him. Seungmin hands him a spoon, and Chan holds it in a bit of an odd manner, like a little kid. He stares at the packs before shyly holding them out to Seungmin. He doesn't know how to open then. Seungmin merely opens the packs for him and sets them on the island table. "Channie, sit down so you can eat, okay?"

Chan does as he's told, sitting down in front of the open packs. He eats them carefully, making sure not to spill anything on himself. Seungmin watches him carefully, also making sure that the older doesn't spill anything.

"Was it good?" Seungmin asks once the other is done eating. Chan nods happily. "Alright, good. Are you feeling better?" Chan nods again. Seungmin smiles. "I'm glad, Channie. It's getting late now, so we should head to bed."

Chan's mind flickers slightly, from little to big, remembering he still has to work on some of the lyrics. But sleeping souns much better, and Seungmin treating him normally while he was feeling little had him feeling happy. "Okay." Chan didn't bother arguing against Seungmin, who could be very persuasive.

Seungmin throws away the empty packs and ushers Chan from the kitchen back to his room. Chan immediately climbs into his bed, ignoring the shy feeling in his gut. "Sleep well, Channie." Seungmin runs a hand over Chan's hair then, relaxing the older as he curls up.

"Seungmin?" Chan mumbles.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," the leader continues, hiding part of his face against his pillow. "For... taking care of me like that."

Seungmin smiles again, shrugging. "You take care of us, hyung. You deserve to be taken care of, too. Now go to sleep, Channie."

Chan manages a smile, before closing his eyes. It's a bit of a miracle how easily he falls asleep then, dreaming about getting revenge on Minho for stealing his pudding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this is just a random thing i thought up, so i hope you guys liked it?? lmk if you think i should continue !!


	2. storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan isn't normally scared of rain, but storms are a different thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was inspired by an event that happened to me yesterday while i was writing the first chapter :')) there were really bad winds and the power was going on and off for a while, so i panicked and immediately regressed.
> 
> also chan cries i'm so sorry

Chan is never worried about rain. Rain is a common occurrence. It's not exactly common down in Australia, but it has happened before. Chan's experienced more rain, snow, and other weather conditions in Korea than he ever did in Australia. Rain doesn't scare him, but storms are something completely different.

Their day had been a busy one, filled with practice and warm ups and brainstorming about their future comebacks and plans. Chan has reached his mental exhaustion point, so he immediately begins to go into overdrive by the time they're home. It's been about two weeks since the incident with Seungmin in the kitchen. A few days after, Chan had called Seungmin to his room and told about his situation. About being a little and age regression.

It didn't seem to phase Seungmin, much to Chan's relief, and Seungmin has been taking care of Chan whenever he's needed. Which was only about 3 times.

Most of the boys scatter to their rooms and that leaves Chan in the living with Woojin, Felix, and Changbin. He's draped across Woojin's and Changbin's laps on the couch, Felix sitting in the floor in front of Woojin's legs. Changbin is scrolling through the television for something to watch when the rain starts.

Chan glances towards the windows, but his attention returns to the tv as soon as a movie appears. It's some action movie, so he's caught up in it immediately. Changbin is playing with his hair absentmindedly, while Chan is casually holding into one of Woojin's hands. Woojin's other hand is holding onto of Felix's, while Felix plays on his phone with his free hand.

The rain slowly becomes harder and louder as the movie goes on. Chan furrows his eyebrows, anxiety building up inside of him. Suddenly there's a crack of thunder and Chan shoots up from his laying position, eyes wide. The three others immediately look at him, and Chan feels himself becoming smaller.

He opens his mouth to say something, but can only let out a whimper as more thunder rolls. His eyes begin tearing up, and when some lightning flashes, he begins crying.

"Chan- oh my god, he's crying. Woojin, what the hell do we do?!" Felix is on his feet now, looking at the eldest member with wide eyes.

"I don't know, he's never cried when it's rained before."

Rained, yes. Stormed? No. Chan has cried a million times during storms. They always terrified him, even when he was a little kid.

Thunder cracks again and Chan scrambles himself off of the couch, running off to his room. "Chan!" Felix and Woojin call after him, but it's drowned out as soon as Chan slams the door room shut.

"Whoa! What the hell?" From the top bunk, Minho sits up, looking groggy. It seems like he had been napping.

Chan barely registers Minho's words and reaction, simply crawling his way underneath his bed. He curls up into a ball, head in his hands, crying quietly. The storm outside still rages on, and he can still somewhat hear the thunder rolling.

"Chan?" Minho's voice comes again, but Chan barely acknowledges it. "Chan, why the hell are you under the bed?"

Chan opens his eyes, full of tears, and barely sees Minho through them, bent over and staring at him from the floor. Chan sniffs, opening his mouth, before the loudest crack of thunder happens. Chan yelps and curls uo even tighter, the tears flowing stronger.

"Oh fuck-- oh, god, um, shit." Minho curses to himself repeatedly. He stands up and paces before the door opens and shuts. It's silent in the room for a few minutes, before the door opens again.

This time, it's Woojin's voice that calls to him. "Channie?" It's his nickname. "Channie, it's okay. The storm is going to go away soon. I promise, we checked the weather report." Chan sniffs, hands barely rubbing at his eyes. He opens them a little, but he doesn't see Woojin's face.

"Channie," Woojin coos softly, gently holding his hand in front of the open space. "It's okay. Seungmin told me what happens to you whenever you get stressed. Are you feeling that way now?" There's obvious silence; Chan is little, regressed to an age that's really non verbal, but Woojin doesn't mind. "Channie, come out. Woojinnie will hold you until the storm is gone. Does that sound nice?"

And it does. It sounds so nice. Chan sniffs once more and reaches out, grabbing hold of Woojin's hand. The two of them work around until Chan is out from under the bed, and curled up on Woojin's lap on his bed. He would be feeling shy, but Chan could really care less about that in this point in time. All he cares about is the way Woojin is cradling him, the way he's stroking his hair, and the softness of his voice as he whispers reassurances to him.

It takes an hour for the storm to pass, but it felt like ages to Chan. But the blow was very much softened with Woojin there holding him, treating him so lovingly. Chan had only been able to cling onto Woojin's shirt, crying into his shoulder and probably ruining said shirt. He'd have to apologize later.

When the srorm is gone, Chan is exhausted. He immediately begins to fall asleep, but he's refused to let Woojin go. Once Chan is fully asleep, Minho enters the room once again, since the three of them share the room together.

"Is he okay?" he asks.

Woojin nods, stroking his fingers through Chan's hair. "He's fine now. Let's let him sleep, we'll talk to him tomorrow."

Minho nods and climbs up to his bed, sighing out softly. "Do you think he'll tell us?"

Woojin barely shrugs, even though Minho can't see. He lays back on the bed with Chan on top of him. He's careful not to wake the little one. "He'll tell us when he's ready, Min. He trusts us, so we just have to be patient."

Woojin watches some videos on his phone, talking leisurely with Minho, until the two of them fall asleep as well.


	3. sweaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan doesn't like wearing sweaters, but if another member offers, he can't say no.

When it comes to winter, it's hard for Chan to dress himself well. He's always gotten hot too quickly; he likes to feel free and ready to move with his clothes, which is why he likes t-shirts and sweatpants so much. Hoodies are good, too, because he can easily take them off. But when it comes to winter, Chan is forced into very heavy clothing that makes him squirm.

He hates sweaters, honestly; most of them are itchy and hold in warmth, making him sweat a lot. He rarely wears them, because the material isn't very breathable. But he wears them when the other members offer them to him. He can't say no to them. Chan has tried, but they pull out the pouts and fake waterworks, just to get him to wear the damn things.

Chan wonders why, though. He wonders if it's because they care for his health and don't want him to catch a cold, or if they actually  _like_ seeing him in the sweaters.

It's stressful to think about, and usually Chan would push the thoughts aside, but it's winter time and it's been snowing a lot. Woojin and Seungmin have been going their best at taking care of him; Chan eventually told Woojin about the age regression after the storm incident. He also explained to Minho and the other two that he was just very scared of storms, had been since he was a kid.

It's a particularly snowy day. Half of their plans ended up being cancelled due to the heavy snow fall, so the boys thought it would be fun to play out in it for a while. Jeongin, Jisung, and Felix are already out making a snowman in front of their new dorm, with Minho and Seungmin watching them from thr doorway. Someone has to make sure the kids don't hurt themselves.

Chan watches them from a window, peering out at the white covered grounds. He wants to go out and play with them; he feels the regression tugging at him, the urge to storm out in nothing but his current get-up and start a snowball fight.

He bites his lip and forces the thoughts away, pushing away from the window and marching back to his room to work. It's in his room that he sees Hyunjin rummaging through his (and Changbin's) closet. Chan raises an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

Hyunjin jumps, turning around. "Oh, hyung! You scared me." He laughs lightly, a beautiful sound to Chan's ears.

Chan smiles slightly, keeping his eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I was looking for a certain sweater of mine. I don't know where it went after we moved, so I've been looking through everyone's closets and rooms to try and find it." Hyunjin explains, sticking half of his body back into the closet to search.

"I don't wear sweaters, though," Chan says softly, moving over to sit on his bed. "Changbin doesn't really wear them, either."

"But why not?" Hyunjin makes a face, head poking out from the closet. "You look cute in sweaters, hyung."

Chan's face curls up a bit, regression threatening him again. "I don't like the way they feel on me." is all he says, shrugging his shoulders.

"You should wear some of mine!" Hyunjin pops out from the closet fully, smiling. "They're made from super soft material, they aren't itchy at all. Do you wear Woojin-hyung's sweaters?" Chan nods a bit. "Oh, see, his are real wool-- a lot of wool can be really rough."

Hyunjin continues to ramble about the materials made for sweaters, how some are better and why most swearers end up being so heavy and itchy. Chan listens, because he's always fascinated when his members know a lot about certain things. Hyunjin has a knack for fashion, and Chan always admired that about him.

Eventually, Chan breaks into Hyunjin's monologue with a quiet "I'll wear your sweater if you think it's cute."

Hyunjin is obviously taken aback, blinking several times before he breaks into a smile. "Okay! Here, I'll go get some and you can try them on." He leaves the room then, and Chan sits there in waiting anticipation.

As he waits, the regression begins. Chan has always wanted to do something like a fashion show, like he did with his parents when he was 3 of 4 years old. They'd dress him up and compliment him, and it'd make him so happy. Chan wants to do that again, with the new people who make him so happy in life.

When Hyunjin returns, Chan is almost fully regressed. He looks at the sweaters with bright eyes, much to Hyunjin's shock, but the younger boy simply sets the tops down on the bed beside Chan and smiles.

"Here, hyung, you can try them on and see if you like them. They might be a little tight on you, though." Hyunjin says, voice soft. He goes to leave, expecting Chan to try them on by himself, but Chan reaches out and grabs Hyunjin's wrist.

"Huh?"

Chan can't quite look at him yet; the smallest part of him is still big, but it fades as he looks up at Hyunjin with fully innocent eyes. "Can..." Chan falters for a moment, voice in a higher octave than usual, common when he regresses, "Can you... dress Channie?"

Hyunjin stares, and Chan, in his regressed state, starts to feel panic bubbling up inside of him. He's almost about to cry, when Hyunjin smiles. "Oh, sure. Innie sometimes wants me to dress him, too."

Chan barely questions the fact in his head; a smile immediately blossoms to his face and he can't help but feel extremely giddy. He feels like a small child again, and it makes him happy.

Hyunjin moves Chan's rolling chair to sit in front of the older male, motioning with a hand. "Arms up." And Chan obeys, arms raising up in the air.

Hyunjin pulls Chan's shirt off, setting it aside gently. He grabs the first sweater from the pile and yanks it over Chan's head, who's hair becomes instantly mussy from the impact. (Not that he notices or cares.) Hyunjin smiles, patting the hair down, before gently grabbing Chan's arms and guiding them into the sleeves of the sweater.

The younger was right; his sweaters are a bit tight on Chan's more muscular body. The off-white ivory sweater is fit against Chan's torso, but Chan feels utterly small inside of it. It's warm and it smells like Hyunjin, and it makes Chan smile even more. He snuggles himself into the sweater, Hyunjin watching him carefully.

"Does I look good?" Chan asks. Grammar is something that becomes less important when he regresses.

"You look very cute, Channie!" Hyunjin praises, making Chan's eyes sparkle.

"Can... show 'oojin? An' Binnie?" Chan's pronunciations also become a bit slurred when he's little, but Hyunjin doesn't seem to mind.

"You wanna show the other hyungs?" Hyunjin repeats. Chan nods. "Okay, we can do that. I'll go get them."

So he does, leaving Chan in the room by himself for just a few minutes.

When Hyunjin walks into the living room, he sees Woojin there with Changbin, the two talking on the couch about something. "Woojin-hyung, Binnie-hyung, Channie wants you guys." he says, interrupting their conversation.

Woojin immediately stands up, looking worried, and Hyunjin shakes his head quickly. "It's nothing bad, he wants to show you guys what he looks like in my sweater." the younger explains, making Woojin tilt his head. "Just come on."

"Is he talking a bit funny?" Woojin asks, following after Hyunjin down the hall.

"Yeah, he is. How'd you know?" Hyunjin looks at him.

"You'll find out later, probably." Woojin smiles.

Changbin tags along behind them, and they go back to his and Chan's room.

Chan is still sitting there, but he's playing with the sleeves of the sweater he's wearing, making little noises with his mouth, as if he's playing with cars or a plane.

"Channie, I brought them!"

Chan looks up, gasping out happily when he sees Woojin and Changbin standing there with the youngest of the four. "'oojin! Binnie!" He throws his arms up, standing as well. The sweater rides up a bit on his stomach, making Woojin smile. "Lookie!"

"Channie, look at you!" Woojin speaks in a loving and soft voice, a favourite of Chan's. "You look really cute."

"Jinnie's 'weater." Chan says, pointing at Hyunjin.

Changbin smiles as well, staring at the older boy with fond eyes. "You wanted me and Woojin to see you? I feel special."

"Special! Binnie very special!" Chan goes back over to the bed and sits, jostling the sweaters. "Now show!" He commands, jabbing his finger towards the clothing items.

"Show?" Hyunjin tilts his head.

Chan furrows his brows, unable to really communicate what he wants.

"I think he wants to have a fashion show of the sweaters," Woojin chimes in. Chan's head perks up and he nods quickly. "For me and Binnie?" he adds, making little Chan nod again.

"That'd be nice," Changbin smiles again, nodding. "Do you want us to help dress you, too?"

Chan nods a third time, and immediately holds up his arms, signaling that he's ready to be changed into a different sweater. Hyunjin and Woojin sit on the floor, moving the rolling chair aside as Changbin moves in front of Chan to change him.

The three of them take turnd with dressing and undressing Chan, much to the little's happiness. The "fashion show" goes without a hitch, the three boys showering Chan in compliments and making him feel special. Little Chan was ecstatic and oh so happy, but the show had to be cut short as the group of them heard the other boys clammering inside the living room, having come back in from outside. It was Chan's cue to become big again. He frowns, obviously sad he has to go back, but the three caretakers give him a forehead kiss each, and it makes Chan feel much better.

"We'll see you for dinner, okay?" Hyunjin smiles, squeezing Chan's hand before exiting the room.

Woojin exits with him, shutting the door. Changbin and Chan are left alone, and Changbin helps him dress into something more comfortable. Hyunjin had taken all but one sweater with him, leaving the off-white ivory one with Chan. Chan smiles down at it, hugging it after he's dressed, and holds it out to Changbin.

Changbin shakes his head slightly and hangs the sweater up in the cloert, pushing it towards the back, a special area for special clothes. Chan gets up and hugs the smaller, but Changbin doesn't shy away from the skinship like usual.

Instead, the younger boy presses a kiss to Chan's shoulder and mumbles, "Thank you for letting me see that side of you."

Chan is sobering up now, regression dying down. He feels the flustered feeling come now, but all he does is smile.

"You're welcome. Let's go have dinner now."


End file.
